The Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) is a multi-stakeholder initiative to measure the commitment of countries to cybersecurity. Cybersecurity has a wide field of application that cuts across many industries and sectors. Each country’s level of development is analyzed within five categories: Legal Measures, Technical Measures, Organizational Measures, Capacity Building and Cooperation.

The global community is increasingly embracing ICTs as key enabler for social and economic development. Governments across the world recognize that digital transformation has the power to further the prosperity and wellbeing of their citizens. In supporting this transformation, they also recognize that cybersecurity must be an integral and indivisible part of technological progress.

The information and communication technologies (ICT) networks, devices and services are increasingly critical for day-to-day life. In 2016, almost half the world used the Internet (3.5 billion users) and according to one estimate, there will be over 12 billion machine-to-machine devices connected to the Internet by 2020. Yet, just as in the real world, the cyber world is exposed to a variety of security threats that can cause immense damage.

The GCI is included under Resolution 130 (Rev. Busan, 2014) on strengthening the role of ITU in building confidence and security in the use of ICT. Specifically, Member States are invited “to support ITU initiatives on cybersecurity, including the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), in order to promote government strategies and the sharing of information on efforts across industries and sectors”.

This section presents the finding of the GCI 2017. Please note that to ensure accuracy, revisions of the report may be published in the future. Please check the site http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Pages/GCI-2017.aspx for the latest revision.

All of the six ITU regions are represented in the top ten commitment level in the GCI. There are three from Asia and the Pacific, two each from Europe and the Americas, and one from Africa, the Arab States, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.

This chapter identifies noteworthy and thought-provoking practices in cybersecurity across the various GCI pillars. Examples are drawn from a number of countries and provide an insight on the cybersecurity commitment taken in their focus areas.

Cybersecurity is an increasingly important part of our life today, and the degree of interconnectivity of networks implies that anything and everything can be exposed, and everything from national critical infrastructure to our basic human rights can be compromised. Governments are therefore urged to consider policies that support continued growth in technology sophistication, access and security, and as a crucial first step, to adopt a national cybersecurity strategy.